Bryant Takes Lakers Higher

A cold February night in New Jersey, but crowded and loud Continental Airlines Arena is baking.

The Lakers are preparing to take the floor against the ridiculous New Jersey Nets in pursuit of the sublime.

Owners of pro sports’ hottest streak in nearly three decades, the Lakers are one victory from breaking their own NBA record with 33 consecutive . . .

“No,” says Phil Jackson. “I don’t think it’s possible.”

It is still January, his team has won 14 consecutive games, and a chance for No. 15 will start in about an hour-and-a-half at the Superstore against the Denver Nuggets.

The guy in charge is frowning.

Thirty-three consecutive wins, tying the 1971-72 Lakers for the longest streak in pro sports?

“I just don’t see it happening at this level again,” he says. “There’s just too many good teams out there.”

He talks about how, when the Lakers did it the first time, there were three second-year teams, and some of the best players played in the ABA.

“There was a dilution in talent then, which changed a lot of things,” he said.

He talks about how he didn’t expect his current team to be this good this fast.

‘I didn’t even want it to be this good,” Jackson says. “I was hoping to get on this kind of roll at the end of the season. By doing it now . . . people start shooting at you.”

The Lakers, feeling the nation’s eyes upon them, fall behind the Nets by 10 in the first quarter. Their feet are flat. The triangle is a rhombus.

Claiming, “Not in my backyard,” Stephon Marbury leads a pressing Net team that pushes the lead to 12 at the end of the shootout first half.

Slumped breathless on their bench in front of a scowling Jackson, the Lakers perk up when they hear some transplanted Southlanders chanting, “Thirty-three, thirty-. . .

‘Nope,” says Chick Hearn, “I don’t think anybody will win 33 straight again.”

The longtime announcer and streak witness, sitting above the court before Monday’s game, is asked for proof.

Facts, after all, are facts.

The Lakers are not only the best team in the league right now, there is only one team--Portland--within six games of them in the Western Conference.

Between now and New Jersey, the Lakers play five games in which a loss wouldn’t be such an upset.

The first two are back to back at Indiana and Minnesota this weekend. The third is home against Portland on Jan. 22. The fourth is at Utah Jan. 24. The fifth is in San Antonio on Feb. 1.

Why is 18 more consecutive victories not at least possible?

“Because each night something can happen,” Hearn says. “Injuries, lucky shots, calls that against you. Too much out there that can go wrong.”

Kobe gets hot. Shaq gets mad. Rice gets smart. Everyone plays defense.

Together they lead the Lakers, who outscore the Nets 35-20 in the third quarter to pull even.

On the bench before the fourth quarter, realizing history is within the Lakers’ grasp, Phil Jackson finally admits it.

He reminds them of their great earlier comebacks against the likes of Charlotte and Seattle. He tells them that, indeed, the most important number in this final quarter is thirty- . . .

“I doubt it,” says Jim Cleamons, the Laker assistant coach who was on that 1971-72 Laker team. “I really doubt anybody will have a winning streak like 33 games again.”

He says one big reason is the record itself. Those Lakers were under pressure only for 20 games, the existing record. Even that was lessened because the record had also been equaled by Milwaukee earlier that season.

“All we had to do was get to 20, and then the rest was gravy,” Cleamons said. “It wasn’t like it would be today.”

Another member of that team agreed.

“It would take so much, I haven’t even thought about it,” said Jerry West, smiling. “And if we would get close, I guess I would have some mixed emotions.”

One of Shaq’s emotions, perhaps, would be confusion. “What does 33 mean? Did somebody once win 33 games?” he said. “I’m not an historian of the game. Anything that happened before Dr. J, I don’t know anything about it.”

Thirty-three seconds remaining, the game is tied at 133-all, Kobe dribbles the ball to the baseline against Kendall Gill, sinks a fallaway jumper to give the Lakers the lead.

Marbury makes a driving layup to tie it up.

Kobe makes a three-pointer for another lead.

Van Horn makes a three-pointer to match him.

Final seconds, the clock ticking down, and those few Laker fans are how waving an old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar jersey with the number thirty- . . .

“Why not?” says Kobe.

What?

“You asked me if I thought we could win 33 straight games,” he says. “I’ve never thought about it but I’m saying, ‘Why not?’ ”

An hour later, he takes the court against the Nuggets, who take a 3-0 lead.

Then Kobe drives and dunks. Then he drives and reverse dunks. Then he makes a three pointer. And another three pointer.

By the end of the quarter, Kobe has scored only one less point than the entire Nuggets team. He is flapping his arms, and the crowd waving back, and an ordinary basketball game has become a 15th consecutive party, a 130-95 win.

Why not, indeed.

Bill Plaschke can be reached at his e-mail address: bill.plaschke@latimes.com.